John,

In my area spring is king for blackies. I find the best time is the last week of May into mid June so that might fit your schedule. I have two outfits with in a days drive so it is convenient for out of state, out of country folks to come to my house and split travel from here.

Eastern black bears live in pretty thick, tangly country with very difficult, boggy footing so stalking is not a very good option. You would have too much tangle to even shoot through if you were lucky enough to even come across a bear that didn't already know you were coming. Highly unlikely, they are VERY keen. The swamps and lowland forests are vast and it is a very unpopulated area and easy to get lost in. Baited stands and ground blinds are the method used here. The nice thing about them is you can often watch many bears over your week if you care to.

In the west stalking works better as it is much dryer country. Not here.